The strange masochism of Labour-supporting evangelicals

IT IS not just cinemagoers who are fond of masochism these days. Voters often seem to have strange tastes about the parties they want in power.

Earlier this month the Polish ambassador told the Today programme how a number of Poles intended to vote Ukip at the next election, a party that basically opposes eastern European immigration. Surprising to some, yet a number of surveys have shown that Ukip has a fair amount of support among eastern Europeans and minorities, including around 6 per cent of Sikhs and Hindus.

Strange? Maybe, but political tastes that seem odd to one are natural to another. This week a survey by the Evangelical Alliance showed that evangelical Protestants, among the most socially conservative mainstream voters, put Labour as their number one choice for the election.